July 29, 2014

Apps Every New Yorker Needs

This post has been jumping around my planner for as long as I can remember. I'd have it written in for a set date to write and publish, and then life will happen and I'll change the date. Two months later, I think it's about time I shared it with you.

New York has been an absolute blast this summer. I've spent the last two months exploring the city, meeting new people, working my butt off, and hitting the hottest spots, and I can't believe that in less than two weeks, it's over. Isn't that crazy? I feel like it was just yesterday I was packing up and moving into my little apartment in Brooklyn, and now it's almost over. I'm borderline panic attack right now because I haven't even finished my NYC bucket list yet.. but I will before the next two weeks are up!

Anyways, living in NYC for the summer has qualified me (not really) to suggest some of my favorite apps. Okay, so you should all know by now that my iPhone is always glued to my hand, so I had to find some apps to help my transition to the big city, and I am so glad I discovered some of these when I did because it saved my butt many a time!

HopStop // HopStop is hands down my most used app in New York. The app asks you to type in a start and end address (or you can use your current location for starting!), and it shows you all the ways to get there - including subways, buses, walking and cabs. The only thing I'm not fond of is that you need internet access to search, so if plans change mid-subway ride, you're forced to wait until you get to a station boasting internet access/3G coverage to figure it all out.

CabSense // The absolute worst thing in the world is waving down a cab, or waiting on an empty street for a cab to drive by. It happened to me on Saturday after leaving the club, and I couldn't find a cab for the life of me! CabSense uses your current location to show you where the most cabs are driving nearby - so if walking one block up means catching a cab easily, then I'm all for it!

Uber // Speaking of cabs, Uber is the perfect tool for any city anywhere! It's essentially a cab service at your fingers, and you can pull out your phone and request a cab via the app. The cool part is that you link your credit card via the app, so you can pay automatically - leaving you no hassles to deal with, not even the tip! You can track the cab, share your ETA and even split the fare with other passengers - no more IOU's! (Bonus: sign up now, and use the promo code 'ubertcdnyc' for a $30 credit!)

Seamless // Seamless is the lazy girl's dream app. Remember that restaurant you stumbled upon and loved, but it's a little out of the way or you had a long day at work.. yeah, that's essentially what Seamless is for. You log on (either using the app or the website - I prefer the website, shh!) and you can search by restaurants, price or even cuisine, and once you've chosen your restaurant, you click your order and wham, bam, thank you ma'am, Seamless is at your door. (Bonus: If you sign up through this link, you'll get $7 off your first purchase!)

Breather // New York can be a little overwhelming at times.. okay, understatement of the year. But sometimes we just need a little space in a crowded city like this, and that's why the app Breather was created! Breather allows you to rent a quiet space for $25/hr for when you need to escape work, your roommate, or just have some sort of alone time. You can rent for as long as you please, just to escape the concrete jungle around you. I get it, don't worry!

Sit or Squat // We've all been there - we need to pee, and we're 45 minutes away from our apartment, or we're on our way to a meeting, or we're late for something or the other, and that subway bathroom is starting to look really tempting at the moment. Enter Sit or Squat (appropriately sponsored by Charmin) - to help you find a (clean) rest room that you can use nearby - rated by real people who needed to pee just like you!

I wasn't lying when I said I was the app Queen, y'all.. I know my stuff! Honestly though, thank goodness for technology, because it has saved my butt many times when I've been lost, alone and scared - and 3G is a marvelous things!

18 comments:

Don't gonna lie, I have this in my editorial calendar for next month! Great minds think alike! Hopstop is my saving grace, seriously, I would not be able to function without it. Also, I love the Sit or Squat, that's so clever!